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THE 


WORK  OF  A  UNIVERSITY 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS 


AT 


LAKE  FOREST,  ILL,  JUNE  1?,  189? 


BY 

JOHN  M.  COULTER 

PRESIDENT 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUN0IS 

AUG  1  0  1915 


PRESIDE  T'SOHCt 

MADISON,  WIS. 

TRACY,  GIBBS  &  CO.,  Printers 

1894 


THE 


WORK  OF  A  UNIVERSITY 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS 


AT 


LAKE  FOREST,  ILL,  JUNE  15,  189? 


BY 

JOHN  M.  COULTER 

PRESIDENT 


MADISON,  WIS. 

TRACY,  GIBBS  &  CO.,  PRINTERS 

1894 


THE  WORK  OF  A  UNIVERSITY. 


I  can  assure  you  that  the  numerous  expressions  of  confidence  and 
encouragement  to  which  I  have  listened  are  sufficient  to  stimulate  to 
the  highest  endeavor.  However,  every  feeling  of  elation  is  swallowed 
up  by  the  overwhelming  thought  of  responsibility;  but  this  responsi- 
bility shall  always  stimulate,  never  discourage.  Facing  the  future 
boldly,  hopefully,  should  be  the  normal  attitude  of  every  man;  for 
everything  that  remains  to  him  lies  in  that  direction.  Every  past 
achievement,  however  great,  is  but  the  preparation  for  a  greater  one. 
But  such  a  future  lies  not  in  the  words  or  strength  of  any  one  man; 
else  I  should  never  utter  the  word  or  dare  the  deed.  The  promise 
and  potency  of  any  such  prophecy  lies  in  the  earnest  work,  the 
loyal  service  of  a  host  of  friends.  I  wish  I  could  send  a  thrill  of  hope 
and  confidence  tingling  along  the  nerves  of  every  friend  of  the  Uni- 
versity to-day;  a  confidence  not  born  of  desire  alone,  but  the  irresist- 
ible conclusion  that  comes  from  a  calm  survey  of  our  present  high 
vantage  ground  and  the  signs  of  the  times.  To  my  vision,  all  things 
are  possible  with  us.  Let  me,  however,  commend  this  thought  to  you 
in  the  outset.  The  trustees  and  faculty,  by  virtue  of  their  positions, 
are  pledged  to  constant  thought  and  action  for  the  interests  of  the 
University.  But  with  you,  representing  the  great  background  of  al- 
umni and  well-wishers,  rests  the  greatest  influence  for  success.  Upon 
you  depends  the  cultivation  of  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  Uni- 
versity, which  will  find  its  expression  in  ample  endowments  and 
crowded  halls. 

Perhaps  it  is  expected,  at  this  time,  that  I  shall  present  to  you  a 
policy,  a  sort  of  presidential  message,  that  is  intended  to  mark  a  new 
era  in  the  history  of  the  University.  However,  it  is  not  prudent  to 
outline  a  policy,  and  to  profusely  pledge  one's  self  to  many  things 
that  he  may  never  be  able  to  accomplish.  It  is  far  better  to  be  chary 
of  promises,  and  to  turn  one's  whole  attention  to  doing  what  he  can. 
If,  therefore,  you  are  asked  what  line  of  policy  the  new  President  pro- 
poses to  adopt,  what  he  proposes  to  do  to  signalize  his  entrance  into 
the  University,  please  say  for  him  that  he  has  no  other  policy  than  to 
do  the  very  best  he  can  for  its  interests.     In  my  study  of  the  develop- 


ment  of  a  plant  in  size  and  strength,  I  have  not  observed  that  it  has 
any  other  policy  than  to  draw  all  it  can  from  its  environment,  watch 
every  change  that  may  be  for  its  advantage  or  disadvantage,  make  the 
best  of  what  it  gets,  push  out  in  this  direction,  probably  withdraw  in  that, 
in  short,  strive  to  become  a  perfect  example  of  a  strong  inward  vitality 
adapting  itself  to  and  using  its  surroundings,  until,  unconsciously,  it 
gains  in  size  and  strength  and  spread  of  limb,  and  many  come  under 
its  shelter.  Any  specific  policy  outlined  to-day  may  run  athwart  one's 
best  interests  to-morrow.  Like  the  course  of  a  vessel  crossing  the 
wide  ocean,  the  only  policy  of  a  University  is  the  purpose  to  reach 
eventually  some  distant  point;  but  what  tack  may  be  taken  to-morrow 
or  next  day  who  can  foretell?  "for  the  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth; 
thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh  or 
whither  it  goeth." 

However,  I  have  a  few  things  to  say  in  reference  to  the  "work  of 
a  University"  which  may  help  us  to  a  better  acquaintance  with  each 
other. 

I.    THE  UNIVERSITY  IS    A  PLACE    FOR  THE    EMANCIPATION  OF  THOUGHT. 

If  called  upon  to  express  my  conception  of  a  University,  I  should 
say  that  in  the  largest  sense  it  is  a  place  for  the  emancipation  of 
thought.  The  thought  of  man,  fettered  by  ignorance  or  superstition, 
superstition  which  may  co-exist  with  a  high  degree  of  intelligence,  is 
the  great  mission  field  of  all  educational  institutions.  It  has  often 
occurred  to  me  that  the  mission  of  a  University  is  more  a  crusade 
against  superstition  than  against  ignorance.  Its  work  is  to  cultivate 
not  so  much  the  power  of  thinking  as  of  logical  thinking.  It  is 
very  hard  for  us  to  realize  how  much  the  wings  of  our  thought  are 
tied  down  by  hereditary  or  thoughtless  beliefs.  The  world  contains 
untold  attics-full  of  heirloom  rubbish,  and  it  needs  an  incendiary  fire 
now  and  then  to  get  rid  of  it.  Second-hand  opinions  are  by  far  the 
most  common  kind,  and  the  whole  effect  of  a  University  should  be  to 
make  men  think  for  themselves.  The  spirit  of  a  University  is  there- 
fore necessarily  iconoclastic.  There  is  an  iconoclastic  spirit  which 
attacks  existing  beliefs  simply  because  they  are  existing  beliefs;  and 
this  is  far  enough  removed  from  the  spirit  I  would  commend.  The 
true  iconoclastic  spirit,  which  it  is  the  mission  of  a  University  to 
foster,  is  not  one  that  attacks  but  undermines  all  existing  beliefs  in- 
consistent with  truth.  Its  destructiveness  is  incidental,  of  necessity, 
not  premeditated.  Habits  of  investigation  and  resistless  deduction 
are  the  things   to  be  cultivated  and  insisted  upon;  and  when  these 


5 

tempered  weapons  are  turned  upon  any  subject  approachable  by  the 
intellect  of  man,  they  pierce  straight  through  the  mail  of  preconceived 
notions  and  reach  the  heart,  the  truth.  From  my  point  of  view,  this 
was  the  secret  of  the  tremendous  power  of  the  greatest  teacher  of  the 
principles  of  right  living  who  ever  lived.  His  clear  statements  of 
ethical  principles  pierced  like  sunbeams  through  the  dust  that  men 
had  raised  about  themselves.  And  so,  I  have  said,  the  University  is 
a  place  for  the  emancipation  of  thought,  a  place  to  encourage  the 
spirit  of  true  iconoclasm. 

2.     THE  UNIVERSITY  MUST  RECOGNIZE  THE  INDIVIDUAL. 

The  truest  idea  that  has  found  its  way  into  modern  University 
methods  is  the  recognition  of  the  individual.  Sowing  the  same  seed 
in  all  soils,  of  whatever  diversity  of  soil  or  climate,  surely  commends 
itself  no  longer  as  a  rational  system  of  education.  The  old  methods 
of  education  fitted  pupils  as  contract  clothing  fits  an  army;  it  was 
full  of  misfits.  The  problem  is  not  one  of  an  undifferentiated  mass, 
but  of  highly  differentiated  individuals,  and  if  training  does  not  rec- 
ognize this  individualism  its  adaptation  becomes  only  a  thing  of 
chance.  One  kind  of  sound  vibration  may  call  forth  a  sonorous  re- 
sponse from  properly  attuned  strings;  but  the  other  strings  remain 
silent  and  unresponsive.  The  duty  of  a  University  is  to  strike  every 
note,  that  every  string  may  respond;  and  this  response  is  the  evidence 
of  awakened  thought.  I  regret  to  say  that  there  are  still  advocates  of  the 
patent  medicine  system,  who  claim  that  the  same  dose  is  suited  to 
every  ailment;  and  their  sole  argument  is  to  point  to  the  illustrious 
cases  that  have  been  benefited.  Where,  it  is  said,  can  you  discover 
grander  results  of  training  than  in  the  intellectual  giants  of  the  last 
generation?  Have  we  any  such  in  these  degenerate  days?  It  must 
be  remembered,  however,  that  men  only  appear  gigantic  when  their 
associates  are  small;  and  I  look  upon  these  ancient  giants,  not  so 
much  as  an  evidence  of  fine  educational  methods  as  an  evidence  of 
terribly  inappropriate  methods  which  left  them  so  many  small  men 
as  associates.  The  seed  that  falls  on  good  ground  might  well  argue 
concerning  the  beneficent  provisions  of  nature;  but  what  of  the 
myriads  of  seeds  that  fall  by  the  wayside  or  on  the  rocks?  The  testi- 
mony of  the  one  must  be  corrected  by  that  of  the  other  before  any 
correct  conclusion  can  be  reached.  To  make  every  pupil  think  for 
himself  is  the  sole  mission  of  the  University.  In  his  St.  Andrew's 
address  upon  "Education,"  Froude  aptly  puts  it  "that  the  backbone 


of  education  must  always  be  the  ability  to  do  something,  and  not 
merely  to  answer  questions." 

From  my  point  of  view,  when  Universities  abandoned  the  old 
patchwork  curriculum,  and  substituted  for  it  elective  courses  of 
study,  they  changed  from  a  false  to  a  true  theory  of  education.  By 
means  of  it  even  the  intellectually  poor  student  of  to-day  is  doing 
more,  is  developing  more  utilizable  brain  power,  than  the  brilliant 
one  of  a  few  years  ago;  and  we  have  no  longer  a  race  of  giants  and 
pigmies.  Besides,  it  is  not  stating  the  whole  result  to  say  that  even 
intellectually  poor  students  can  do  much;  but  also  students  intellect- 
ually rich  in  certain  directions  have  now  a  chance  to  cultivate  their 
peculiar  powers.  The  old  system  not  only  held  down  all  the  dullards 
but  also  repressed  many  of  the  gifted.  It  simply  roused  to  great  in- 
tellectual activity  those  whose  cast  of  mind  was  adapted  to  the  only 
kind  of  training  given. 

The  change  to  elective  courses',  which  is  sweeping  rapidly  through 
our  American  colleges,  is  one  of  those  cases  in  which  there  was  a 
revulsion  in  the  public  sentiment  long  before  it  obtained  a  hearing 
among  the  colleges,  encased  as  they  were  and  are  in  mediaeval  pre- 
cedent. It  is  curious,  that  in  this  day  and  generation,  when  every- 
thing is  making  such  marvellous  progress  and  completely  upsetting 
our  old  notions,  that  there  should  still  be  some  to  claim  that  the  edu- 
cational methods  of  one  hundred  years  ago  are  still  appropriate.  To 
be  consistent,  such  individuals  should  only  ride  in  stage  coaches  and 
read  by  tallow-dips.  If  the  University  of  the  20th  century  has  not 
outgrown  many  of  our  methods  of  to-day,  I  should  consider  it  a  sorry 
record.  The  general  public  long  since  recognized  that  there  was 
something  out  of  touch  between  the  old-fashioned  college  methods 
and  the  needs  of  the  world.  Of  course  the  public  could  not  formu- 
late the  difficulty,  or  suggest  better  methods.  Only  by  sneer  or 
flippant  joke  could  it  express  its  dissatisfaction.  What  the  public 
said  about  college  methods  was  little  to  the  point,  and  it  would  have 
been  absurd  to  have  followed  such  suggestions.  But  the  feeling  in- 
dicated by  this  tongue-tied  expression  did  mean  that  they  were  not 
getting  from  the  colleges  what  they  needed.  It  was  a  blind  hunger 
that  did  not  know  how  to  satisfy  itself,  and  could  only  grumble. 
Those  who  have  recognized  this  demand  for  men  and  women  with 
more  utilizable  brain  power  have  suggested  elective,  individual  work; 
and  that  is  the  answer  given  to  this  demand  in  Universities  to-day. 


3-    THE  UNIVERSITY    IS    TO    PRODUCE    SCHOLARS    WITH    CLEARNESS    OF 
VISION. 

If  there  is  any  one  thing  that  the  world  needs  now  more  than  any 
other  it  is  the  ability  and  the  courage  to  see  things  as  they  really  are. 
We  -have  discovered  that  seeing  is  not  always  believing,  and  how 
much  more  uncertain  must  be  our  reasoning.  One  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult things  to  make  people  understand  is  the  enormous  and  often  im- 
passable hiatus  between  a  cause  and  effect  which  they  have  coupled 
together.  This  is  the  very  essence  of  superstition.  You  would  be 
surprised  to  know  of  how  many  common  beliefs  of  mankind  it  must 
be  said  "it  does  not  follow."  This  finds  exemplification  all  the  way 
from  beliefs  as  to  the  effect  of  the  light  or  dark  of  the  moon  upon 
sublunary  affairs,  to  those  concerning  "Providential  interferences." 
It  permeates  all  business,  makes  demagoguery  possible,  and  is  the 
foundation  of  the  most  of  religious  cant.  It  is  used  to  confuse 
judges  and  juries,  runs  rampant  in  the  divine  art  of  healing,  and  per- 
verts the  religious  instinct.  Surely  there  is  a  wide  field  of  usefulness 
here  for  the  trained  intellect;  not  for  fierce  denunciation,  but  for  pa- 
tient teaching.  Denunciation  masses  and  organizes  opposition,  and 
the  fierce  polemic  blunts  his  sword  .at  the  first  stroke;  he  really 
sheathes  it  in  the  act  of  drawing.  But  the  voice  of  friendship  dis- 
arms opposition  and  is  on  the  highway  to  conviction.  The  effect  of 
this  leaven  of  scholarship  is  already  apparent,  and  that  it  is  "work- 
ing" throughout  society  is  evidenced  by  the  demolition  of  many  old 
idols  and  the  tottering  condition  of  many  more.  Many  more  people 
are  beginning  to  smile  at  unfounded  claims,  and  to  demand  a  more 
evident  relation  between  cause  and  effect  The  flood  gates  of  doubt 
have  been  thrown  open,  and  in  the  first  mad  rush  doubtless  many 
things  are  thrown  down  that  deserve  to  stand,  but  out  of  this  whirl 
and  confusion  the  truth  will  emerge. 

In  this  connection  "scholarship"  should  be  defined.  There  is  a 
•certain  kind  of  training  which  masks  as  scholarship  and  has  no  right 
to  the  claim.  An  old  superstition  is  apt  to  eive  way  to  a  new  one, 
and  both  are  to  be  alike  condemned.  That  scholarship  which  does 
not  see  and  acknowledge  the  good  in  all  things  deserves  not  the  name. 
That  scholarship  which  does  not  keep  the  mind  open  and  receptive 
for  all  truth,  from  whatever  quarter,  has  fallen  short  of  its  meaning. 
That  scholarship  which  assumes  that  all  that  is  old  is  false  is  still  in  its 
swaddling  clothes.  None  of  these  attitudes  of  mind  have  an  outlook 
broad  enough  to  bring  into  view  the  whole  sweep  of  truth.  Too  many 
scholars  look  out  upon  the  world  from  the  bottoms  of  their  own  par 
ticular  wells,  rather  than  from  mountain  heights. 


8 


I  am  free  to  confess  that  this  mental  attitude  does  not  yet  inspire 
the  respect  of  the  world  as  it  should.  It  is  too  often  accused  of  stand- 
ing for  indecision  or  mental  flabbiness.  For  instance,  there  is  still  a 
spirit  abroad  which  is  inclined  to  decry  those  who  venture  to  hold  in- 
dependent opinions  in  regard  to  matters  of  church  or  state.  The  de- 
crying is  just  enough,  if  the  victim  is  "independent"  simply  for 
effect,  for  an  expression  of  independent  views  does  not  always  mean 
unusual  clearness  of  vision.  Many  a  man  is  attracted  to  this  position 
simply  because  it  smacks  -of  originality.  Such  light  folk,  "tossed 
about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine,"  are  not  worthy  of  consideration; 
but  the  honest  thinker,  who  is  not  posing  for  effect,  but  really  has  his 
doubts  about  many  a  hoary  belief,  is  not  to  be  accused  of  mental 
weakness.  It  is  said  that  doubt  will  land  one  in  a  fog-bank,  and  that 
this  is  not  clearness  of  vision.  To  recognise  a  fog-bank  when  it  is 
present  is  surely  seeing  more  clearly  "than  not  to  have  discovered  it. 
The  knowledge  of  one  fact  may  lead  to  belief;  another  fact  suggests 
doubt;  a  multitude  of  facts  brings  bewilderment.  Certainty  may 
often  be  an  indication  of  scant  knowledge  or  distorted  vision;  uncer- 
tainty may  be  indicative  of  vast  knowledge  and  clear  vision.  Our 
lives  are  cast  in  surroundings  which  compel  us  to  deal  with  num- 
berless facts,  and  the  clearest  vision  sees  that  we  must  grope  our  way, 
and  that  our  best  theories  are  but  a  temporary  knitting  together  of 
the  few  facts  in  our  possession.  There  is  nothing  more  evident  than 
as  knowledge  advances  views  must  change,  and  that  while  three  points 
may  determine  a  curve,  such  a  paucity  of  facts  can  never  determine 
a  true  theory  of  the  universe.  The  argument  from  common  consent 
has  long  since  fallen  to  the  ground,  for  we  recognise  that  one  man  may 
be  right  and  all  his  fellows  wrong;  and  that  this  has  generally  been 
the  method  of  the  introduction  of  epochs  in  the  history  of  belief.  The 
love  of  consistency  in  expressed  beliefs  has  always  been  a  bar  to  pro- 
gress. That  I  believe  one  thing  to-day  and  another  thing  to-morrow 
may  indicate  mental  weakness;  but  it  may  indicate  mental  progress. 
"God  offers  to  every  mind,"  says  Emerson,  "its  choice  between  truth 
and  repose.  Take  which  you  please,  you  can  never  have  both.  Be- 
tween these,  as  a  pendulum,  man  oscillates.  He  in  whom  the  love  of 
repose  predominates  will  accept  the  first  creed,  the  first  philosophy, 
the  first  political  party  he  meets,  most  likely  his  father's.  He  gets 
rest  and  reputation;  but  he  shuts  the  door  of  truth.  He  in  whom  the 
love  of  truth  predominates  will  keep  himself  aloof  from  all  moorings 
and  afloat.     He  will  abstain  from  dogmatism,  and  recognise  all  oppo- 


9 

site  negations  between  which  as  walls,  his  being  is  swung.  He  sub- 
raits  to  the  inconvenience  of  suspense  and  imperfect  opinion,  but  he  is 
a  candidate  for  truth,  as  the  other  is  not,  and  respects  the  highest 
law  of  his  being." 

The  striking  at  meaningless  things,  the  relegating  to  a  common 
limbo  shadows  which  have  no  substance,  the  rigid  demand  that  the 
relation  between  cause  and  effect  shall  be  apparent,  such  is  a  part  of 
the  mission  of  the  man  of  clear  vision,  and  such  a  vision  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  University  to  cultivate. 

4.    THE     UNIVERSITY    MUST      PRODUCE    SCHOLARS    WITH    LARGENESS     OF 

VIEW. 

The  world  expends  most  of  its  force  upon  trifles.  That  largeness 
of  view  which  gives  a  true  perspective  and  brings  a  true  estimate  of 
the  size  of  things  is  largely  wanting.  The  things  with  which  we  may 
occupy  ourselves  contain  essentials  and  non-essentials;  to  recognize 
the  former  means  large-mindedness,  and  their  cultivation  tends  to 
liberality,  to  see  only  the  latter  is  the  province  of  short  vision  and  per- 
sistent attention  to  them  will  surely  cultivate  narrowness. 

The  Jewish  Rabbinists  played  with  the  trifles  of  their  temple  wor- 
ship until  their  writings  became  an  enormous  tissue  of  absurdities. 
This  concentration  upon  unessentials,  which  acted  as  a  harmless  con- 
ductor to  regions  of  dissipation  for  an  immense  amount  of  intellec- 
tual force,  if  turned  upon  the  eternal  verities  of  their  religion  would 
have  shaken  the  world  with  the  thunderbolts  of  truth.  It  was  left 
for  a  Nazarene  to  deal  with  the  essentials,  and  the  effect  of  his  single 
force,  thus  vitally  directed,  is  seen  in  a  world-wide  revolution. 

The  philosophy  of  the  middle  ages  amused  itself  with  senseless  rid- 
dles, and  has  left  a  record  of  its  folly  in  folios  as  bulky  as  they  are 
inane,  chiefly  serviceable  to  bibliophiles,  and  as  a  record  of  the  most 
stupendous  devotion  to  non-essentials.  The  well-known  result  was 
absolute  intellectual  stagnation.  A  few  brave  souls  rebelled  and  led 
the  mind  of  man  face  to  face  with  realities,  and  there  followed  such  a 
leap  and  rush  of  progress,  such  an  awakening  from  death  to  life,  that 
the  world  is  said  to  have  been  born  again. 

For  generations  the  divine  right  of  one  set  of  men  to  lord  it  over  all 
the  rest  passed  unquestioned,  and  the  meaning  of  this  leadership  was 
entirely  lost  sight  of  in  contemplating  and  perpetuating  the  empty 
fact.  Presently  the  right  was  questioned,  and  political  liberty  be- 
came a  universal  doctrine.     Shreds  of  the  ancient  belief  may  still  be 


IO 


seen  hanging  upon  the  rapidly  attenuating  forms  of  their  debilitated 
wearers,  but  the  mighty  strength  of  the  modern  idea,  which  deals 
with  substance  and  not  semblance,  pays  them  but  the  scant  courtesy 
of  a  smile. 

It  is  hardly  a  century  since  nature  was  considered  but  a  mass  of 
miracles,  whose  phenomena  were  to  be  wondered  at  but  not  questioned. 
Beneficent  or  destructive,  she  was  a  fickle  goddess,  and  her  variable 
moods  only  suggested  the  whims  of  a  passionate  but  omnipotent  be- 
ing. Tempest  and  plague  marked  her  wrath,  which  senseless  incanta- 
tions strove  to  placate.  Sunshine  and  dew  indicated  her  smile. 
Matter  and  life  and  this  great  globe  itself  were  toys,  to  be  hastily 
made  and  thrown  aside.  How  man  could  have  held  this  chaotic  be- 
lief and  retain  his  reason  can  only  be  explained  by  the  stupor  of 
insensibility.  Thus  phenomena,  which  presented  themselves  in 
myriad  forms,  and  were  really  but  unessential  external  expressions 
of  deeper  essential  truths,  were  the  only  things  seen  or  thought  of. 

Into  the  minds  of  certain  gifted  men,  men  of  large  vision,  there 
gradually  crept  a  notion  of  secondary  causes.  It  must  be  that  phe- 
nomena could  be  explained  in  a  way  that  men  could  understand;  at 
least  the  problem  was  worth  the  effort  at  solution.  You  all  know  the 
result  of  this  attention  to  essentials.  Chaos  was  reduced  to  order; 
whimsical  government  gave  place  to  continuous,  impartial  law;  mat- 
ter and  life  fell  into  proper  place  and  sequence;  the  scattered  toys 
were  found  fraught  with  deep  meaning;  an  awful  majesty  was  breathed 
into  the  universe;  and  the  race  of  man,  freed  from  its  shackles,  sprang 
forward  to  such  conquests  over  nature  that  to  live  a  single  generation 
now  is  more  than  to  have  existed  during  all  the  millenniums  of  the 
past. 

I  have  brought  forward  instances  of  world-wide  movements  which 
have  followed  an  escape  from  non-essentials.  But  the  world  is  yet  full  of 
this  stagnating  spirit.  Even  in  Universities,  how  much  of  the  energy 
of  student  life  is  turned  upon  trifles,  upon  meaningless  things,  a  process 
which  must  lead  away  from  a  broadness  of  mind,  from  a  largeness  of 
vision;  in  schemes  of  education,  how  much  slavery  to  the  letter  still 
exists,  the  spirit,  the  real  purpose  of  the  system  being  forgotten;  in 
medicine,  how  often  does  the  divinest  of  all  arts  trip  itself  in  the  meshes 
of  meaningless  professional  etiquette;  in  politics  how  often  does  self- 
interest  rather  than  desire  for  good  government  obtrude  itself;  in  so- 
ciety, how  rampant  are  false  notions  of  classification,  in  religious 
systems,  how  often  is  the  divine  soul-life  strangled  by  theology.    This 


II 


undue  attention  to  non-essentials  not  merely  narrows  the  vision  and 
has  its  reflex  effect  upon  the  mind,  but  it  is  also  the  fruitful  source  of 
most  of  the  jarring  among  mankind.  The  bitterest  strifes  the  world 
has  ever  seen  have  arisen  from  meaningless  things,  Eternal  truth?, 
the  essentials,  are  never  in  conflict;  and  it  is  the  largeness  of  vision 
which  has  learned  to  recognize  them  that  the  University  must  culti- 
vate. 

5.    THE  UNIVERSITY  MUST  PRODUCE  MEN  OF  CHARACTER. 

The  scholarly  qualities  that  have  been  suggested  can  all  be 
measured  by  their  external  expression.  The  utterance  gives  expres- 
sion to  the  thought.  From  the  mob  of  thoughts  that  come  trooping 
to  every  thinking  man,  the  scholar  makes  his  selection  for  public 
presentation.  He  tries  to  choose  his  best  and  may  create  a  false  im- 
pression of  his  usual  self.  His  house  is  bedecked  for  a  reception,  and 
all  the  finery  he  owns  or  can  borrow  is  on  display.  This  is  perfectly 
proper,  but  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  fact  that  in  addition  to  the  pub- 
lic, the  display  self,  there  is  the  ordinary,  the  real  self,  nor  can  the 
one  be  taken  as  any  measure  of  the  other,  I  am  familiar  with  au- 
thors through  whose  writings  there  breathes  a  purity»and  a  charm,  a 
clearness  and  sweep  of  vision,  that  is  absolutely  contradicted  by  their 
lives.  Expression  may  reveal  glimpses  of  a  man's  habit  of  thought. 
but  may  be  entirely  at  fault  as  a  revelation  of  his  character.  Char- 
acter is  that  impalpable  thing  which  cannot  be  communicated  to  an- 
other. You  have  perhaps  met  those  who,  you  felt,  possessed  some- 
thing finer  than  they  ever  said  or  did;  a  sort  of  reserved  force  which 
acts  by  its  presence  and  not  by  any  outward  expression.  This  extra- 
ordinary force  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  at  work  to-day  among 
mankind.  You  feel  its  presence,  this  presence  of  the  unspoken  self, 
but  cannot  explain  it.  It  is  as  real  as  the  human  form,  but  as  impal- 
pable as  air  when  one  tries  to  touch  it.  Why  is  it  that  you  can  feel 
one  man's  presence  and  not  another's?  What  is  it  that  gives  you  the 
impression  of  weight,  of  upward-looking,  in  the  presence  of  some? 
The  thing  is  purely  relative,  for  your  neighbor  may  not  be  so  im- 
pressed, his  channels  of  communication  are  not  open  to  the  influence. 
The  scholar's  contribution  to  society  is  but  half  made,  and  its  effect- 
iveness vastly  enfeebled,  if  to  his  keen,  discriminating  mental  powers 
he  does  not  add  that  vast  reserve  of  soul-force  known  as  character. 
The  momentum  that  this  adds  to  influence  is  immeasurable.  If  you 
would  have  your  thoughts  make   their  fullest   impression,  they  must 


12 


have  behind  them  the  strong  projective  force  of  character.  It  is  a 
perfecity  familiar  experience  that  the  same  thought  uttered  by  two 
persons  may  be  potent  in  the  case  of  one  and  impotent  in  the  other. 
Character  is  the  letter  of  recommendation  which  calls  favorable  at- 
tention to  the  thought.  With  many,  the  effort  is  finer  than  the  man; 
with  a  few  the  man  is  always  finer  than  the  effort.  Almost  any  one 
can  utter  noble  sentiments,  but  when  you  feel  that  the  real  self  is 
mocking  at  them,  of  what  force  are  they?  Perhaps  you  have  read 
enough  of  geology  to  know  of  the  law  which  controls  the  transporting 
power  of  running  water.  Double  the  velocity  and  the  carrying  power 
is  said  to  be  increased  64-fold!  I  have  often  thought  that  the  force  of 
character  doubles  the  velocity  of  any  thought,  and  the  effect  seems 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  increment.  There  must  be  concurrence 
of  expression  and  character;  and  I  would- warn  you  my  friends,  who 
so  hopefully  are  about  to  contribute*  your  influence  to  society,  that 
you  must  gird  up  the  loins  of  both  mind  and  soul,  if  your  presence  is 
to  be  felt,  if  you  wish  your  effectiveness  to  be  at  all  commensurate 
with  your  preparation.  In  conclusion,  I  must  say  that  no  University 
has  any  right  to  exist,  that  does  not  seek  to  strongly  impress  upon 
its  students  the  exceeding  beauty  and  strength  of  right  living.  There- 
fore, while  all  the  varying  beliefs  and  disbeliefs  must  meet  here  on 
perfect  equality,  as  is  befitting  an  intellectual  community  seeking  for 
truth  in  every  direction,  we  must  all  unite  in  one  belief,  that  the 
only  kind  of  life  worth  living  is  that  one  which  is  governed  by  the 
highest  moral  principles.  As  for  myself,  I  find  the  best  statement  of 
these  principles  in  the  utterances  of  the  great  Nazarene. 

This  leads  me  to  emphasize  the  well-known  fact  that  it  is  personal- 
ity that  educates.  Emerson  says  that  "character  teaches  over  our 
heads."  A  recent  speaker  has  well  said:  "It  is  always  the  teacher 
rather  than  the  subject  taught  that  makes  the  deepest  and  most  per- 
manent impression  on  the  life.  No  science  can  be  so  exact,  no  phil- 
osophy so  abstract  that  the  teacher  will  not  give  something  of  him- 
self in  giving  the  subject.  The  Athenians  were  all  astray  in  thinking 
that  Socrates  was  corrupting  their  young  men,  but  they  were  not 
astray  in  recognizing  the  fact  that  it  was  Socrates  himself  who  was 
working  what  to  their  minds  was  mischief.  'Twas  not  enough  to  ap- 
point a  censor  over  his  teaching.  The  man  himself  must  be  put  out 
of  the  way;  that  would  be  striking  at  the  root  of  the  matter. 

It  is,  I  repeat,  personality  that  educates.  The  moment  one  realizes 
that  fact  in  its  fullness,  then  his  chief  concern  as  a  parent  or  a  citi- 


13 

zen  will  be  with  the  characters  of  those  who  are  set  to  teach.  The 
teacher  must  know  his  subject  to  be  sure,  but  unless  that  knowledge 
is  molten  by  the  passion  of  love  and  sympathetic  interest  in  a  human 
soul  and  borne  on  in  the  swift  current  by  the  energy  of  will,  the  equip- 
ment of  knowledge  is  meager  and  inadequate  indeed." 


I  greet  you  as  members  of  a  great  community,  with  common  inter- 
ests, and  presenting  to  the  world  a  single  aim.  I  have  now  cast  in 
my  lot  with  yours,  for  weal  or  woe;  and  I  have  come,  not  with  the 
spirit  of  a  ruler,  but  as  the  friend  and  companion  of  you  all.  From 
this  time  my  welfare  is  yours,  and  yours  is  mine.  I  pledge  you  my 
most  loyal  and  faithful  service,  not  only  collectively,  but  individually; 
and  if  with  the  same  heartiness  I  can  have  your  undivided  support, 
the  future  has  great  things  in  store  for  us.  With  the  fullest  confi- 
dence in  you,  my  friends  and  associates,  and  relying  for  wisdom  upon 
its  only  known  source,  I  now  take  up  the  burden  laid  upon  me. 


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